Chapter 529 The Important Matter of Enlightenment (Law → Military)

"During the previous competition, Your Highness asked me two questions, and today, before lecturing, I would also like to ask Your Highness two questions."

When it was the Legalist school's turn to lecture, having learned about Zhang Liang's previous experiences, Li Si took the initiative and immediately seized control.

Liu Ju smiled indifferently, "You're quite fair."

Li Si remained unmoved, his gaze fixed intently on the young man before him: "What is Your Highness's view on the law?"

"Anything not prohibited by law is permissible!" Liu Ju said almost without thinking, saying whatever came to mind.

Li Si raised his thick eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He paced slowly, the hem of his robe brushing against the cool blue bricks: "What a fine 'anything not prohibited by law is permissible.' Does Your Highness know that the law is the foundation of the nation, the framework upon which the world operates? Without laws, merchants can run rampant, commoners can act recklessly, and feudal lords can carve up their own territories."

He suddenly stopped, bent down to look Liu Ju in the eye, and said, “Your Highness, as the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty and the future emperor, you must be even more familiar with the essence of the law. Only by governing the country with the law can orders be obeyed and prohibitions enforced, so that the whole world submits and the country is secure forever. The law is not a constraint, but a pillar that supports the Han Dynasty and a cornerstone that allows all people to live and work in peace and contentment.”

"..." Liu Ju was silent for a while, then raised his head and met Li Si's earnest gaze, and said frankly, "I didn't hear a single word."

Li Si's lofty ambitions were stuck in his throat, and Liu Ju's words immediately disrupted his thoughts.

There's no need to be so honest, Your Highness!

Seeing that Li Si remained silent, Liu Ju became even more interested and waved his hand, "Next question!"

Li Si pondered for a moment, his thoughts racing through his mind, then changed his mind and asked, "How does Your Highness wish to learn the law?"

Liu Ju looked up at Li Si, whose demeanor had changed in a short time, from an ambitious controller to a humble and obedient assistant, and gave him an approving look. "I understand why Han Fei can't outmaneuver you."

"Your Highness flatters me." Li Si smiled insincerely, glossing over the topic, "Our teacher-student relationship can still stand strong."

Liu Ju looked at him with a smile, lifted the cloth covering the table, revealing a stack of bamboo slips, "Sir, let's catch some insects."

"Catching bugs?"

Li Si's questioning gaze swept over the mountain of bamboo slips on the table: the Nine Chapters of Law, the Supplementary Chapters, the Yue Palace Law... all of which were the current laws of the Han Dynasty.

"As the gentleman said that day, the law is the sharpest weapon of the country, and of course, the sharpest weapon must be unsheathed."

Liu Ju gently brushed his hand across the bamboo slips, casually pulled out a law book and spread it out. "The sixty chapters of the Han Dynasty's Green Standard Law are hereby presented for your perusal, so that you may examine them one by one, fill in the gaps, revise the deficiencies, and analyze the methods of application."

Li Si stared intently at the young, smiling prince before him, gaining a new understanding of him.

The student surpasses the master; he fully understood that to revitalize Legalism, he must first learn to submit. Legalism needed Liu Ju, and Liu Ju did not lack a Li Si.

Having agreed to Liu Ju's idea, Li Si readily accepted. However, he couldn't help but ask, "Then what will Your Highness be doing?"

Liu Ju picked up the honey water, took a sip, smacked his lips, and a mischievous smile curved his lips, still glistening with water droplets. His delicate, exquisitely shaped hand clenched into a fist and waved it like a beckoning cat: "I'm cheering you on—"

"Your Highness has worked hard."

"Of course, of course!"

...

"You're going to resign from your position as tutor?"

Looking at the humble Li Si before him, Liu Che asked in surprise, "Did Ju'er slap you in the face?"

"..." Li Si looked up speechlessly, thinking, "Why don't you think about His Highness the Crown Prince?"

But then I thought about it again. The brief time I spent with the young prince, even though we didn't actually fight, was it not a slap in the face? His beliefs, his thoughts, and his self-perception all changed in that short half-day.

Coming to his senses, Li Si looked at the emperor before him and replied sincerely, "That is not the case. It is only that Your Highness's words are absolutely right, enlightening and enlightening, and I have gained some understanding."

Liu Che put down the bamboo slips in his hand, sat up slightly, looked at Li Si, and listened attentively to his reasons.

"The law is the sharpest weapon of the state, and it should be drawn and used." When he raised his head, the burning passion in his eyes startled Liu Che, who leaned back slightly. "Your Highness is already the one who wields the sword; there is no need for further instruction. I am willing to cut through the storms ahead for Your Highness and forge the spirit of the Han Dynasty with the principles of Legalism!"

Liu Ju looked at the fanatical Li Si and hesitated for a second. He remembered that Ju'er hadn't been speaking without stuttering for a long time, but now he could speak in long sentences and had already fooled Li Si.

As expected of his son! His persuasive skills are inherited from his father, and he has even surpassed his father in talent!

Liu Che was so pleased that he agreed to his request. In Liu Ju’s words, “Let people who love to work work well!”

I was just about to ask my precious son if he was canceling his Legalist class and whose class he should take instead, when I discovered he had already left a message saying he was leaving! He had made perfect arrangements for himself and was going to the Jixia Academy to audit the Military School's classes!

Inside the ornate carriage, on the soft cushions, Huo Qubing held his younger cousin Liu Ju in his arms, saying, "If His Majesty blames me, Ju'er, remember to plead for me."

Liu Ju immediately straightened his small body and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, cousin, I'll ask Father to hit you less hard."

"Can't we just not fight?"

Liu Ju tilted his head, pretended to think seriously for a moment, and then said in a solemn tone, "That depends on Father's conscience."

Huo Qubing couldn't help but chuckle, and pinched the little dumpling's soft cheeks with a smile: "Isn't it because of your conscience? I'm doing this to help you."

Liu Ju blinked, then suddenly shook his head in a serious tone, "I have no conscience."

Huo Qubing couldn't help but burst into laughter, reaching out to tickle his skin. "You heartless fellow, though you've got plenty of meat on your hands."

"Hahaha……"

Liu Ju tried desperately to dodge, but he couldn't escape Huo Qubing's "clutches" and soon laughed himself into a pancake.

The two of them, laughing and joking, quickly arrived at the Jixia Academy.

Then, Huo Qubing witnessed what true differential treatment really meant.

On the training ground, Zhang Han twirled his spear in a dazzling display of silver, the tip of which swept past Huo Qubing's breastplate, producing a piercing metallic clang.

"Again!"

Huo Qubing tumbled away in a disheveled manner, his hair sticking to his face with sweat, and bits of grass clinging to the gaps in his armor.

Five steps away, Han Xin was crouching, carefully supporting Liu Ju's swaying little body. "Your Highness's horse stance is quite imposing!"

Huo Qubing wiped the sweat from his face, pointed at Liu Ju who was smiling broadly, then looked at Zhang Han who had a cold and frosty expression, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Sirs, aren't you being too gentle with Ju'er? What happened to the saying that jade must be carved to become a gem?"

Upon hearing this, Han Xin slowly turned around, revealing his signature gentle smile, but then bombarded him with questions: "Have you mastered spear techniques? Have you thoroughly understood military strategy? Are you clear about the essential tasks of leading an army?"

Before he could finish speaking, Huo Qubing was already trying to slip away, but Zhang Han grabbed his ear from behind, making him wince and cry out in pain.

"Your mind is not at peace!"

Zhang Han led the man deeper into the training ground, and Huo Qubing's unwilling protests gradually faded into the distance.

Han Xin watched the two figures as they walked away, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He turned to look at Liu Ju, who was still standing there, squatted down to be at eye level with Liu Ju, and said in a gentle tone, "Your Highness has been looking at me. Is there a problem?"

Liu Ju's clear eyes brightened, and he nodded without hesitation. He took two steps forward with his short legs, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in Han Xin's ear.

"Can you fight Zhang Liang?"